The field of the invention relates generally to machine condition monitoring, and more specifically, to a method and system for near real-time monitoring a remaining life of a machine using a monitored condition of the machine.
In at least some known industries, such as, but not limited to, the oil, gas, and electric utility industries, during peak demand periods it is essential for critical equipment to perform at their maximum capacity to reap the benefits of the given market conditions, for example, a period where the price of crude oil per barrel and/or the price of electricity per KWhr is relatively high.
Based on data available, one of the top causes of equipment un-availability is down time due to scheduled maintenance. Often, such maintenance is not required by a condition of the equipment, but is rather specified by a time requirement. By driving towards condition-based maintenance, non-value added inspections and maintenance can be reduced if not eliminated.
Currently, little information is available to the plant engineer on the amount of degradation of equipment prior to the inspection and there is no room for extending life. Using a fixed interval inspection schedule, information related to the life degradation is available only after an inspection is performed. Any benefits of life improvement are seen only after the next inspection is performed. There is no indication of drastic changes to the life between the two inspections should they occur. The cycle time to identify the remaining life and to mitigate the risk is very high. It is difficult to identify the most degraded machine or the machine that needs immediate attention. Moreover, the effects of intermittent maintenance actions such as filter cleaning; lubrication etc cannot be identified or tracked till next inspection.